Flyers believe Dan Vladař ‘dodged a bullet,’ list the netminder as ‘day-to-day’ with an upper-body injury
Vladař, who was the Flyers' MVP a year ago, exited Tuesday's preseason game in the first period and looked to be favoring his right arm. The Flyers are hopeful he won't be out long-term.
Less than 48 hours after losing forward Denver Barkey to a lower-body injury that has him out day-to-day, the Flyers have added No. 1 goalie Dan Vladař to the list.
“I think we dodged a bullet,” coach Rick Tocchet said on Wednesday. “He’s in good spirits today.”
Tocchet’s update came following an anxious few hours for the Flyers and their fans after Vladař exited the team’s preseason game Tuesday in Boston with an “upper-body injury.” The 29-year-old goaltender was the team’s MVP last season, and any significant injury to the franchise goaltender would have curtailed the team’s elevated expectations entering the season.
Vladař’s status for the home opener, which is set for a week from Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins (7:30 p.m., TNT, truTV), is unknown at this time. But the Flyers are hopeful their standout netminder has at least avoided the worst, and a lengthy spell on the shelf.
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The injury occurred in the Flyers’ second preseason game when Vladař left 13 minutes, 31 seconds into the first period after allowing a deflection goal by Michael Eyssimont. The Czech netminder did not have his stick when the goal was scored.
Before Eyssimont scored, Vladař had mishandled a dump-in and was spread down with his arms extended on the ice when Tanner Jeannot crashed the net for the rebound. It didn’t look like there was significant contact between Jeannot’s leg and Vladař on the play, but the netminder let go of his stick immediately and appeared to be holding his right arm awkwardly in the sequence that led up to Eyssimont’s goal.
Afterward, Vladař skated over to the bench and, while leaning over in discomfort, talked with the Flyers assistant athletic trainer Joe Mele before heading down the tunnel. Vladař, who did not return to the game, was replaced by Aleksei Kolosov, who allowed four goals on 18 shots in a 5-1 loss.
Coach Rick Tocchet told the Flyers website after the game that Vladař was still being evaluated and that he did not have an update.
The worry with Vladař was that just a few short months ago, in Game 3 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, he took a knee to the hand or right arm from Bryan Rust as the Pittsburgh Penguins forward tried to cut across the crease during a power play.
On that postseason play, Vladař immediately appeared to be in pain after losing his blocker and was seen flexing his hand while being checked by then-Flyers head athletic trainer Tommy Alva. He stayed in the game and played the rest of the playoffs but was unable to represent Czechia at the 2026 men’s World Championships.
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Vladař, who posted a 29-14-7 record with a .906 save percentage and 2.42 goals-against average last season, signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract extension that starts next season with the Flyers on July 1.
If Vladař is unable to go on opening night, that honor would likely fall upon the shoulders of Joseph Woll, who was acquired in June from Toronto. Woll, 28, boasts a .906 career save percentage and had some excellent spells as a tandem goalie while with the Maple Leafs.
Durability has been a major question for Woll, though, as he has only played 40 games once so far in his career and has battled a litany of injuries over the past few seasons.
